Adam Virgo today saluted Championship survival as a bigger triumph than Albion's three promotions in the last five years.

Virgo's tenth-minute equaliser against promotion-chasing Ipswich at Withdean yesterday earned the Seagulls the point they needed from a 1-1 draw to stay up and send Gillingham down.

Player of the season Virgo, playing with a painkilling jab in a torn knee cartilage which requires surgery, said: "This is the greatest achievement, more than the two division wins and the play-off season.

"Staying in this division is a massive achievement with the suspensions we've had, sales, retirements, money, ground everything. I think the gaffer (Mark McGhee) should be up for an award.

"In the Second Division we were expected to do well and in the Third Division we were expected to win it. We had quality players and were recognised as one of the better teams.

"I remember from the first day this season opposing players saying we were the worst team in the division and not good enough to be in the Championship.

"I always knew we were good enough. We lost Darren Currie, key players like Ben Roberts, Simon Rodger, John Piercy and Dean Blackwell, but the youngsters have come through.

"After winning the play-off final at the Millennium Stadium everyone was looking at us to go straight back down but we have proved everyone wrong."

Top scorer Virgo, at fault for Shefki Kuqi's fourth-minute opener for Ipswich, levelled with his ninth goal of the season after Ipswich keeper Kelvin Davis kept out a Gary Hart header.

"I felt so stupid when they scored," Virgo said. "You've been presented with player of the year, you return to the team and make a cock-up but that's football. Everyone makes mistakes and it's how you react.

"The team got behind me and I felt I owed them a goal. Fortunately enough I got it, with my left foot.

"I'd scored a couple off my shin this season and one off my face but none with my left foot. I don't care how they go in, I'm just so glad it did. Other results didn't go for us but we got the result we needed."

Albion's match finished after the rest, thanks to a total of 11 minutes of stoppage time. A late winner for Ipswich would have relegated them after Crewe came from behind to beat Coventry 2-1 and save themselves on goal difference, while Gillingham drew 2-2 at Nottingham Forest.

"I don't want to do this ever again," Virgo said. "It was an absolute nightmare. I honestly thought Crewe hadn't got a result and that if we conceded we would have been all right.

"Even if results had gone for us we felt a point would be a lot more satisfying than us losing and say Crewe losing. It would have been a different celebration.

"We always felt we could get a point, we always believed in our own ability. It was a great last day."

McGhee said: "He had no right to be playing. It was a sort of Lazarus performance. His effort this season has been absolutely outstanding.

"He's played rightback, centre half, midfield, up front and he's our top goalscorer. He's becoming a bit of a legend but he's such an unassuming lad, one of the squad. He's a pleasure to work with."

A relieved McGhee, who signed a two-year extension to his contract in the build-up to the match, said: "That's not something I want to experience too often. It was pretty scary and very draining. Somebody was texting Bob (Booker).

"At one point he told me Crewe were winning and Gillingham were winning, so I knew if we lost a goal we were down.

"I committed myself to another two years here and, to be honest, I was holding my breath that at least one of them wouldn't be in League One, because I didn't want that. This is the minimum level I'd like to manage at."

Virgo, booked in for a cartilage operation on Thursday week, and the rest of the squad flew out to Marbella in Spain in the early hours this morning for a four-day break.